Embroidery apparatus, dyeing/embroidery system, and method for adjusting consumption amount of thread

Abstract

An embroidery apparatus is configured to perform an embroidery operation according to embroidery data. The embroidery apparatus includes a thread assumed consumption amount calculator configured to calculate an assumed consumption amount of a thread in the embroidery operation, based on initial embroidery data input in advance; a thread consumption amount detection mechanism configured to detect an actual consumption amount of the thread; and a thread consumption amount adjuster configured to adjust the actual consumption amount of the thread in the embroidery operation by adjusting output embroidery data to be output, based on a difference between the calculated assumed consumption amount of the thread and the detected actual consumption amount of the thread.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An embroidery apparatus configured to perform an embroidery operation on a cloth according to embroidery data, the embroidery apparatus comprising:
 an assumed thread consumption amount calculator configured to calculate an assumed thread consumption amount of a thread in the embroidery operation based on initial embroidery data input in advance; 
 a thread consumption amount detection mechanism configured to detect an actual thread consumption amount of the thread in the embroidery operation; and 
 a thread consumption amount adjuster configured to
 adjust the actual thread consumption amount by adjusting the initial embroidery data based on a difference between the assumed thread consumption amount and the actual thread consumption amount, and 
 output adjusted embroidery data to a driver that drives and controls a drive motor of the embroidery apparatus, wherein 
 the thread consumption amount detection mechanism includes
 an optical detection sensor configured to detect a color change of the thread at a detection time t 1 ; and 
 a thread consumption amount calculator, 
 
 a distance from a detection position, at which the optical detection sensor detects the color change, to a tip of a needle is set as an estimated stitching distance covered by a predetermined number of stitches, 
 the optical detection sensor detects an actual color change position at the detection position, 
 the thread consumption amount calculator invokes a fixed distance from a starting position to the actual color change position detected by the optical detection sensor, and sets the fixed distance as the actual consumption amount of the thread, and 
 the assumed thread consumption amount calculator calculates the assumed thread consumption amount at the detection time t 1 , the assumed thread consumption amount being calculated from data indicating a number of stitches that have progressed in the embroidery operation, and a position in the initial embroidery data corresponding to the indicated number of stitches. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the embroidery apparatus performs the embroidery operation on the cloth using a needle thread passed through the needle and a bobbin thread that is fed according to the needle thread being fed, 
 the thread consumption amount detection mechanism detects the actual thread consumption amount of the needle thread, 
 the assumed thread consumption amount calculator calculates the assumed consumption amount of the needle thread, and 
 the thread consumption amount adjuster adjusts the actual consumption amount of the needle thread based on the difference between the assumed thread consumption amount of the needle thread and the actual thread consumption amount of the needle thread. 
 
     
     
       3. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the thread consumption amount detection mechanism includes:
 a conveyed thread amount sensor provided on a roller that rotates with the thread being, conveyed thereon, the conveyed thread amount sensor being configured to detect a cumulative conveyed thread amount of the thread; and 
 
 a thread consumption amount calculator, wherein 
 the conveyed thread amount sensor detects the cumulative conveyed thread amount at a time point corresponding to a predetermined number of stitches before a time point when the color change of the thread is assumed to occur, and 
 the thread consumption amount calculator calculates the actual thread consumption amount based on the cumulative conveyed thread amount. 
 
     
     
       4. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the thread consumption amount adjuster includes:
 a thread consumption amount deviation amount calculator configured to calculate a difference between the actual thread consumption amount and the assumed thread consumption amount at a time point t 1 , the time point t 1  corresponding to a predetermined number of stitches before a time point t 2  at which the color change of the thread is assumed to occur; and 
 an embroidery amount adjuster configured to adjust the embroidery operation on the cloth, by changing the output embroidery data from the initial embroidery data to the adjusted embroidery data, in a period T 12  from the time point t 1  to a time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position, based, on the difference between the actual thread consumption amount and the assumed thread consumption amount, such that an actual cumulative consumption amount of the thread of a predetermined color at the time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position becomes the same as a cumulative assumed thread, consumption amount of the thread of the predetermined color at the time point t 2  when the color change of the thread is assumed to occur, in a dye region of the predetermined color before the color change occurs in the thread. 
 
 
     
     
       5. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the time point t 1 , corresponding to the predetermined number of stitches before the time point t 2 , is detected by counting the number of stitches. 
     
     
       6. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein when the embroidery operation is performed in a constant speed mode, the time point t 1  is detected by counting an embroidery time. 
     
     
       7. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the thread consumption amount adjuster includes:
 a thread consumption deviation amount calculator configured to calculate a difference between the actual thread consumption amount and the assumed thread consumption amount at the detection timing time point t 1  of the actual color change position detected by the thread consumption amount detection mechanism; and 
 an embroidery amount adjuster configured to adjust the embroidery operation on the cloth, by changing the output embroidery data from the initial embroidery data to the adjusted embroidery data, in a period T 12  from the detection timing time point t 1  to a time point t 2 ′ corresponding to an actual color change position, based on the difference between the detected actual thread consumption amount and the assumed thread consumption amount, such that an actual cumulative consumption amount of the thread of a predetermined color at the time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position becomes the same as a cumulative assumed consumption amount of the thread of the predetermined color at a time point t 2  when color change of the thread is assumed to occur, in a dye region of the predetermined color before color change occurs in the thread. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the embroidery amount adjuster
 sets an embroidery condition to increase a consumption rate of the thread in the period T 12  in response to determining that the actual thread consumption is less than the assumed consumption of the thread at the time point t 1 , and 
 sets an embroidery condition to decrease the consumption rate of the thread in the period T 12  in response to determining that the actual thread consumption is greater than or equal to the assumed consumption of the thread at the time point t 1 . 
 
 
     
     
       9. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the embroidery amount adjuster sets, as the output embroidery data, the adjusted embroidery data in which a length of a stitch in the initial embroidery data is changed, in the period T 12  from the time point t 1  to the time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position. 
     
     
       10. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the embroidery amount adjuster sets, as the output embroidery data, the adjusted embroidery data in which a density of sewing the thread is changed from that of the initial embroidery data, in the period T 12  from the time point t 1  to the time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position. 
     
     
       11. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the embroidery amount adjuster sets, as the output embroidery data, the adjusted embroidery data in which a stitch that is not originally input is added to the initial embroidery data or part of the initial embroidery data is deleted, in the period T 12  from the time point t 1  to the time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position. 
     
     
       12. The embroidery apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the embroidery amount adjuster sets, as the output embroidery data, the adjusted embroidery data that is adjusted so as to increase a consumption of the thread by consuming the thread in a region outside an intended embroidery region and then cutting the thread, or winding the thread and, then cutting the thread, in the period T 12  from the time point t 1  to the time point t 2 ′ corresponding to the actual color change position. 
     
     
       13. A dyeing/embroidery system including
 a dyeing apparatus configured to dye a needle thread that is fed from the dyeing apparatus; and 
 an embroidery apparatus configured to perform an embroidery operation on a cloth according to embroidery data using the need thread and a bobbin thread that is fed according to the needle thread being fed, the dyeing/embroidery system comprising:
 a thread consumption amount detection mechanism configured to detect an actual thread consumption amount of the needle thread in the embroidery operation; 
 an assumed thread consumption amount calculator configured to calculate an assumed thread consumption amount of the needle thread, based on initial embroidery data input in advance; and 
 a thread consumption amount adjuster configured to
 adjust the actual thread consumption amount by adjusting the initial embroidery data based on a difference between the assumed thread consumption amount and the actual thread consumption amount of the thread, and 
 output adjusted embroidery data to a driver that drives and controls a drive motor of the embroidery apparatus, wherein 
 the dyeing apparatus includes a dyer configured to apply changing colors to
 the needle thread in a conveying direction of the needle thread; 
 the thread consumption amount detection mechanism is mounted in the dyeing apparatus or the embroidery apparatus; and 
 the assumed thread consumption amount calculator and the thread consumption amount adjuster are mounted in the dyeing apparatus, in the embroidery apparatus, or in an upper level control apparatus configured to be connected to the dyeing/embroidery system, 
 
 the thread consumption amount detection mechanism includes
 an optical detection sensor configured to detect a color change of the thread at a detection time t 1  and 
 a thread consumption amount calculator, 
 
 a distance from a detection position, at which the optical detection sensor detects the color change, to a tip of a needle is set as an estimated stitching distance covered by a predetermined number of stitches, 
 the optical detection sensor detects an actual color change position at the detection position, 
 the thread consumption amount calculator invokes a fixed distance from a starting position to the actual color change position detected by the optical detection sensor, and sets the fixed distance as the actual consumption amount of the thread, and 
 the assumed thread consumption amount calculator calculates the assumed thread consumption amount at the detection time t 1 , the assumed thread consumption amount being calculated from data indicating a number of stitches that have progressed in the embroidery operation, and a position in the initial embroidery data corresponding to the indicated number of stitches. 
 
 
 
     
     
       14. The dyeing/embroidery system according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the embroidery apparatus includes a stitch sensor configured to detect a number of stitches representing how many stitches are sewn by the needle. 
 
     
     
       15. A method for adjusting a consumption amount of a thread, the method being performed in an embroidery apparatus configured to perform an embroidery operation on a cloth according to embroidery data, the method, comprising:
 calculating an assumed thread consumption amount of the thread in the embroidery operation based on initial embroidery data input in advance; 
 detecting an actual thread consumption amount of the thread in the embroidery operation; 
 adjusting the actual thread consumption amount by adjusting the initial embroidery data based on a difference between the assumed thread consumption amount and the actual thread consumption; and 
 outputting adjusted embroidery data to a driver that drives and controls a drive motor of the embroidery apparatus, wherein
 the thread consumption amount detection mechanism includes
 an optical detection sensor configured to detect a color change of the thread at a detection time t 1  and 
 a thread consumption calculator, 
 
 a distance from a detection position, at which the optical detection sensor detects the color change, to a tip of a needle is set as an estimated stitching distance covered by a predetermined number of stitches, 
 the optical detection sensor detects an actual color change position at the detection position, 
 the thread consumption amount calculator invokes a fixed distance from a starting position to the actual color change position detected by the optical detection sensor, and sets the fixed distance as the actual consumption amount of the thread, and 
 the assumed thread consumption amount calculator calculates the assumed thread consumption amount at the detection time t 1 , the assumed thread consumption amount being calculated from data indicating a number of stitches that have progressed in the embroidery operation, and a position in the initial embroidery data corresponding to the indicated number of stitches.